Cessna 150 accident near Ellensburg, Washington, January 8, 1987
On January 8, 1987 at about 7:36 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N704HM, was destroyed in an accident near Ellensburg, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1987 · about 7:36 pm local time
- Place
- Ellensburg, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N704HM · no longer on the register · serial 15078624
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE TWO COMMERCIALLY CERTIFICATED INSTRUMENT RATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS DEPARTED ELLENSBURG AT APPROXIMATELY 1120 PST ON A LOCAL FLIGHT. BOTH PILOTS HAD APPOINTMENTS AT 1300 HOURS PST. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN LOWER TERRAIN NEAR ELLENSBURG, HOWEVER, A SCATTERED TO OVERCAST CLOUD LAYER EXISTED AT APPROXIMATELY 5000 FEET MSL THROUGHOUT THE AREA. ADDITIONALLY, WITNESSES REPORTED FOG & OBSCURATION IN HIGHER TERRAIN THROUGHOUT THE AREA NEAR THE SITE WITHIN A FEW HOURS SUBSEQUENT TO THE ACCIDENT. EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT A COURSE REVERSAL WAS BEING EXECUTED CONCURRENT WITH TREE IMPACTS AT APPROXIMATELY 4425 FEET MSL WHILE OVERFLYING RISING/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THERE WAS NO RECORD THAT EITHER PILOT HAD RECEIVED ANY FORMAL MOUNTAIN FLYING TRAINING.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,206 hours in all; 105 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,940 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,720 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 27, 1986; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A(48) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELN Ellensburg WA at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.